Hiring Process Improvements Also Sought

Another bill (S-736) offered by Akaka seeks to simplify and streamline the hiring process, which has been widely criticized as broken. The measure would require agencies to: develop strategic workforce plans, including hiring projections and critical skills gaps in the workforce; post brief, clear job announcements in plain writing; allow applicants to submit resumes and cover letters, and no longer require "knowledge, skills, and abilities" essays; provide timely notification to applicants on the status of their applications; take no more than 80 days from the time a managers decides to fill a vacancy to the time an offer is made; keep an inventory of all applicants who elect to be considered for other federal vacancies; and measure the effectiveness of hiring efforts and reforms.